Women's Basketball Adds Two New Staffers

Courtesy: NC A&T Sports Information

Release: 09/19/2017

Anthony Bland will serve as the new director of player development.

Courtesy: NC A&T Sports Information

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GREENSBORO (September 19, 2017) – North Carolina A&T women’s basketball coach Tarrell Robinson announced the additions of Anthony Bland and Adriana Nazario to his coaching staff for the 2017-18 season on Tuesday. Bland joins the Aggies as their new director of player development, while Nazario will serve as a graduate assistant coach.

“I am very excited to welcome Mr. Bland to our staff,” said Robinson, who is entering his sixth season with the Aggies. “His experience as a strength coach will only enhance and bring value to our program as we continue working toward bringing more championships to North Carolina A&T. He is passionate about developing our young ladies, and I am confident he will do a great job.”

Prior to his new role for the women’s basketball program, Bland served as a strength and conditioning coach for Aggie Athletics beginning in 2013. Bland designed and implemented the annual training programs for the women’s basketball, track and field, baseball, softball and cross country teams, as well as assisting with the football program.

Before his arrival at N.C. A&T, Bland spent the 2014 year working with the National Football League’s New York Giants in the offseason. Working with the Giants, he assisted with multiple aspects of their training program which included enhancing the players speed, agility, conditioning, power, strength, and flexibility. Bland also worked at Velocity Sports Performance and Webber International University (2012).

In 2011, Bland completed an internship at Fordham University. For the academic school year (2010-2011), he completed a mentorship at Seton Hall University where he worked mostly with the men’s basketball and men’s golf programs. In the summer of 2010, Bland also completed an internship at The New Jersey Institute of Technology. Bland earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education/adult fitness from Kean University in 2009. He holds professional certifications from the Collegiate Strength & Conditioning Coaches Association, National Strength and Conditioning Association and the United States Weightlifting Federation. Bland is also CPR/AED certified.

“I am extremely grateful to Coach Robinson and the staff for providing me with the opportunity to positively impact the women’s basketball program here at North Carolina A&T,” said Bland. “I am looking forward to being able to work exclusively with the team on a full-time basis and helping develop the player’s; speed, strength, conditioning, power, coordination, flexibility and nutritional habits. My position as the director of player development is like a dream come true.”

Adriana Nazario, a former point guard for the Aggies women’s basketball program (2011-16), returns after helping the Aggies win the 2016 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship.

Nazario finished her career ranked 10th all-time in assists with 279 and scored more than 600 points at N.C. A&T. A season-ending injury suffered early in her junior season sidelined her, but she was awarded a medical hardship. Nazario received the Lady Aggie Spirit Award in 2014.

“I am happy that Adriana will be joining our program this year as a graduate assistant,” said Robinson. “There are many advantages to having a former player with the success that she has had here come back to give to the program. She’s a proven champion, a leader that’s loyal and eager to learn. Our ladies will benefit from having her around.”

Nazario is a three-time All-MEAC Academic team member and graduated with a degree in psychology from N.C. A&T in 2015.

“I am extremely excited to be back in a place where I saw myself and many others grow and mature,” said Nazario. “I am truly grateful to coach Robinson and the rest of the staff for welcoming me with open arms and allowing me to learn from them. My excitement for giving back to the program and continuing to build on a legacy, as well as all the knowledge that I will gain, is unmatched. It is a blessing to be able to get my first dose of college coaching experience in a program that is deeply rooted in culture and focuses on the right things. Not only developing these ladies as athletes but also as great women.”

N.C. A&T will open their 2017-18 season 5 p.m., Friday, Nov. 10 against Georgia Southern at Corbett Sports Center.